I think everyone on HN knows by now that the patent system is horribly broken, but that is not in any way exclusive to seeds. I can get in just as much trouble doing similar things with natural ore and carbons.
The reality is that, from a farmer's point of view, nothing changed. You still go to the same vendors, who supply seed same as they always did, and you plant them just like any other. It is not a practical issue, and never would have seen major use if it was.
The RR1 patent expires next year. That means we've been growing the stuff for almost 20 years now. The only problem I have heard of come as the result of the patent in all that time is the guy who got in trouble for spraying roundup on his "naturally occurring" roundup ready crop.